Island



-I'- 4LLIIN 8v I'. A'. GRATEH.`

Capstan NQ. 231,949. Patented Sept. 7, 1880,

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' INVENTORS:

N-FETERS..P.HT0-LITHOGRAPHEH. WASHINGTON. D. 2

UNITED STATES-i PATENT OEErcE.

FRANK ALLEN AND FRANK A. GRA'IER, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNORS rIO AMERICAN SHIP WINDLASS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAPSTAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 231,949, dated September 7, 1880.

` Application flied December 1o, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANK ALLEN and FRANK A. GRATER, both of the city and county Vof Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Capstans 5 and we hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention has reference to an improvement in capstans arranged 'to be driven by cranks and gears; and it consists in the peculiar and novel arrangement by which the capstan can be driven at a high or low speed, and consequently with increased power when at low speed, as hereinafter specified and claimed.

Figure l is an elevation, showing the capstan one-half in side view and one-half in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a top View below the plane `of line x w, Fig. l, showing the crankshaft provided with abevel-pinion gearing into a horizontal gear, forming part of a plate turning on the central shaft or spindle. Fig. 3 is a bottom-plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper end of the capstan-barrel and the compound gear placed within the barrel, showing the ratchetteeth in the barrel, with which the pawls of the driving-disk engage so as to drive the capstan-barrel directly, and also the ratcheti teeth in the central driving-piniomby which the capstan is driven with increased power. Fig.5 is a view of the bracket on which the intermediate or idle gears of the compound gear are supported `and firmly secured to the central shaft or spindle. Fig. 6 is a perspective view, and Fig. 7 a sectional view on the plane of line yy, Fig. 8, of one of the pawls.

The capstan on board of a ship has to be used for various purposes, in some of which it is important to exert the greatest possible power, while in others a rapid revolution of the barrel is required.

If the anchor is to be hoisted, the slack of the chain must rst be hauled in, and this should be done as quickly as possible; but when the anchor itself is reached and must be drawn from the earth a much greater power is required.

To facilitate these operations various devices have heretofore been used, the mostusual being a compound gear, in which a disk carrying idlegears is arranged so as to be locked and unlocked, and thus the power increased. In al1 such devices locking blocks or keys had to be used in stormy cold weather and a rough sea. The locking and unlocking is an operation requiring strength and judgment, and in winter the blocks or keys, or the holes into which they are to beinserted, are liable to obstruction by ice.

To avoid all this, and to construct a capstan that can be operated either at slow or fast speed, with ordinary or increased power, and instantly changed from one to the other, as well as to protect all parts from rain, frost, or the waves, is the object of this invention.

Inl the drawings, A is the base of the capstan, which is firmly secured to the :deck by bolts. The base is provided with the central boss, b supported on the plate a', and strengthened by the radial ribs a2, usually six. By this arrangement a long central sleeve is provided, into which the central shaft or spindle, B, can be rigidly secured, and thus a firm foundation for the capstan is provided. The shaft or spindle B is stationary, and receives the barrel C, which is provided with two bearings surrounding the spindle B. The one, c', at the ylower end of the barrel rests on the central boss, b', and supports the weight of the barrel. The upper bearing, c2, surrounds the spindle near the center of the barrel, and serves to stay the upper end of the barrel and to support the fixed bracket and the opera-tingmechanism at a point above the base :and out of. the plane of strain, whereby it is removed from liability to derangement. w

The barrel is free to revolve on the spindle to the right, only being restrained by the pawls d, which hold the barrel against any strain in the opposite direction and hold the same in the positiondesired.

The spindle B varies in thickness, the portion 6 being of less diameter than the portion 5, so that a shoulder is formed by which the spindle rests on the' boss b', and thus adds to the solidity of the structure.

The portion 4 is of less diameter than por- IOO 2 esigere tion 5, portion 3 less than portion 4, and portion 2 et' the smallest diameter. By this arl rangement all the parts can be successively placed on the spindle and have a firm bear* ing on a shoulder of the same. Thus the size of the spindle diminishes upward, and the greatest strength is secured where the barrel bears against the spindle and where the greatest strength is required.

D is the eapstan-head. This head is iirmly secured to the spindle B, and therefore the base A, spindle B, and capstanhead D are xed parts of the capstan, while the barrel G revolves. On two opposite sides ot' the capstan-head bearings are formed for the horizontal shaft c, which passes through the capstan-head and through the spindle B at 2. The beveled pinion c gears into the large bevelgear f on the horizontal disk F. The shaft c is provided with suitable ends, to which the cranks e2 can be readily secured.

In the drawings square projecting ends on which the cranks can be placed are shown, but other means for readily securing the cranks may be resorted to.

The disk F is provided with two sets of pawls. rlhe two pawls f2, at or near the periphery of the disk, are beveled so that they Will engage with the ratchets f3 on the upper end of the capstan-barrel O when the disk F is turning to the right or with the sun, but will slide over the ratchet f3 when the disk F is turning in the opposite direction. When, therefore, the cranks@2 are turned so as to turn by means of the beveled pinion e', the disk F with the sun or to the right, then the capstan-barrel 0 will be turned in the same direction as the drivin g-disk F and at the same speed. When it is now desired to turn the capstan-barrel still in the same direction, but with increased power, or when it is found that the men at the cranks cannot overcome the resistance, then, by turning the cranks in `the Opposite direction, and thereby turning the drivin g-disk F also in the opposite direction, the pawls f4, which are beveled in the opposite direction from the pawlsfz, will enter the circular ratchetf, the teeth of which are also beveled in the opposite direction .from the teeth of the ratchet f3 on the capstan-barrel, and as the ratchet f5 is connected with the loose pinion g, the driving-disk F and pinion g will turn together, and the pawls f2 will slide over the ratchet on the end of the barrel.

The pinion g gears into the idle-gears g', and as these idle-gears are turning on pins secured in the bracket h, (shown in Fig. 5,) and this bracket is firmly secured, by means of a key or otherwise, to the central spindle, B, their motion is transmitted to the toothed rim g2 on the capstan-barrel, and the capstan-barrel is driven with an increased power equal to the difference in the diameter between the pinion g and the toothed rim g2, which in the drawings is as one to three, and therefore the power is increased threefold, and as the idle-gears are interposed between the pinion g and the rim g2, the motion of the barrel will be always in the same direction, no matter in what direction the cranks are turned, but the power exerted will depend on the direction in which the cranks are turned.

The pawls are provided with stops i, fitting in recesses in sockets in the disk F, (see Fig. 7,) by which they are secured when the capstan is put together, and prevented from jumping out of their place when the capstan is quickly operated, or being displaced from any other cause.

By the construction of the base and the central shaft or spindle great strength is secured in the capstan, and particularly at the place where the greatest strength is required. The various parts can be readily put together or taken apart, and all the parts are secured toi gether and rigidly retained in their place by the central spindle. All the movingparts are above the point where the strain is exerted, and are not liable to be injured by such strain, as is the case in capstans in which the compound gear is placed near the base. l

The capstan is strong and yet light. N capstan-bars are required and no capstan-bar sockets. It has a smooth exterior and gives perfect protection to the internal gears against water, frost, and dust.

The pawls act by gravitation only, and cannot get out oi" order, and can be chan ged automatically from a slow toa fast capstan, or vice versa, by simply reversing the motion ofthe cranks.

The mechanism herein shownand not claimed is embodied in another application for a patent for a similar inventiomled December 31,187 9.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a crank-ea1')stan,the combination, with the driving-shaft provided with a beveled pinion and a disk provided with a bevel-gear, of pawls and ratchets arranged to connect the disk with the eapstan-barrel directly or through a compound gear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a capstan-barrel provided with a toothed rim, the drivin g-shaft, its beveled pinion, and a disk and its beveled gear, ot'one or more idle-gears the axes of which are permanently fixed in one position, a pinion provided with a ratchet-gear, and. pawls arranged to connect the pinion with the driving mechanism and drive the barrel with increased 'power or disconnect the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a capstan, the barrel and its spindle B, idle-gears, and a fixed bracket to receive the said idle-gears, a central pinion, and pawl-and ratchet mechanism, in combination with an upper bearing, c2, to stay the upper end of the barrel and to support the xed bracket, and, the above-described operating mechanism at IOO IOS

IIO

ALJAL aipoint above the base and out of the plane of strain, whereby the said operating mechanism is removed from liability to derangement, substantially es described.

4. The combination, with the driving-shaft e, the beveled pinion ci, the disk F, provided With the geairf', the pawlfz, and the barrel provided With the rattchetf3 and the toothed rim g2, of the pawl f4, the pinion g, provided with the ratchet f5, and the idle-gears g', constructed so as to drive the @Elastan-barrel, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The Combination, with the driving-disk E,

FRANK ALLEN. FRANK A. GRATER.

Witnesses JOSEPH A. MILLER, J osEPH A. MILLER, J r. 

